Haiku Celebration: Introduction to the Way of Haiku

Live Session Dates and Times

2023: Dec. 9 & 16

2024: Jan 6 & 13

Cohort 1: 1:00pm - 3:00pm EST 

Cohort 2: 5:00 - 7:00pm EST

About the Course

REGISTER FOR COHORT 1 HERE

REGISTER FOR COHORT 2 HERE

This course is an introduction to Classic Contemplative Haiku, a short literary form that brings both the writer and the reader to a “now moment” that encompasses the entire universe. It will help participants explore and see the phenomenal ways of the universe through several seasonal categories such as “animals and plants” - frogs and daffodils for Spring, for example. 

Another classical haiku category is “celebrations," which is looking at the ways of human culture. During this course, we will emphasize Winter celebrations such as the Solstice and Yule, Shambhala Children’s Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, various Saints Days, Las Posadas, New Year’s Eve & Day, and more. So you can bring your haiku practice and writings during this course into your personal celebrations during this important seasonal time.

Also the course will include a consideration of Chogyam Trungpa's teaching on Setting Sun and Great Easter Sun cultures presented in the book Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior ( If you do not
have this book the readings will be provided).

No writing experience is necessary!

Included in the Course

• Four live online sessions
• Meditation and contemplation practice
• Teachings on writing haiku
• Reading and study materials from Haiku literature, Daosim, and Mythology (These materials will be provided)
• Group study and discussion
• Weekly haiku writing assignments
• Personal feedback on your haiku through weekly email exchanges
• Weekly sharing and celebration of each other’s haiku

This course opens the possibility of joining the Moon and Sun Haiku Group – an online collective that shares their haiku and includes further teachings.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites.

Registration

Cohort 1 - 1:00-3:00 pm EST

REGISTER FOR COHORT 1 HERE

Cohort 2 - 5:00-7:00 pm EST

REGISTER FOR COHORT 2 HERE

About the Teacher

John McQuade is a long time student of Sakyong Trungpa Rinpoche, Vajra Regent Osel Tendzin and Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. He served on the Toronto Shambhala Center Council for twenty years including the Director twice. He is a Shambhala Training teacher and Maitri Five Wisdoms teacher. He founded Nalanda Miksang Contemplative Photography (www.miksang.org) and the Moon and Sun Contemplative Haiku group. He teaches the View and practice of the contemplative arts (www.dralaimage.com). He co-authored, with Miriam Hall, two books: Looking and Seeing and Heart of Photography. He holds a PhD in Phenomenology and teaches in academic institutions. He is married to Alice Yang and enjoys family life with their children Tara and Sean.